ASH-- ASR lower the age to 12 ??

[Gunjumper]

Age...

I definitly think the age restrictions should stay as they are. There's no way a 12 year old is ready for A, and as a competitive ASR driver I don't want one in the first turn with us. I personally think the KPro is too fast, it's an unweighted ASH, even if it is a lower height, it's still too fast in my opinion. I have not recieved a check yet for my engine and did have multiple offers. Greg

[Mike Schmidt]

Da....

Would you want your 12 year old going to the first turn with Mike Kench ????

NOT....

J stock is a bunch of nice kids that play well with one another. Good hard racing, but still kids....

A Stock is a ton harder and 20+ MPH faster. I crashed more 3 or 4 years of ASH than the next 35 years of 250 hydro.....

Michael D-1

(Mike Kench is one of the best / hardest drivers I know.)

[Fast Jack]

Checks in the Mail

Region 1 is seeing a slow increase of new drivers, most have come up from J with a few previous racers returning to our sport. AH class at our events is usually a 4 boat race. We will have some up and comers into the AXS classes this year . I am planing on going to more USTS races this next season and Jack will be runnning K pro at those events. It seems like the K pro should perform similar to an A.. On a local level it would be good to be able to build some larger classes as we limit the # of classes to the time we have . Any way it started some good replys and gave me a couple of good laughs . Thanks, Shawn

[thepiranhabros]

I concur, sir.

The statement above is true!

In our own experience for a new driver, it can be tough enogh to understand the rules of the road let alone the speed of the A classes.
Even for a 12-13 year old starting in the J classes. When we started Rachel she was 13 (with some testing at 12) and at the 1st race she went up against vets like Magret Allen (driving at 9 - an exception in most cases & same age as Rachel) and Bill Hemp (I think 11 years with 1 year under his belt). It takes a couple of years of seat time with different boats (usually involved) that these drivers are adapting too.
Yes, the AXS classes do compliment this training process but only when the coach and driver agree to move forward. The +10mph in the AXS classes is a huge difference from the J classes.
Case in point here locally, Jace Scheffler been driving the JH/JR for couple of years now and is now getting the game face of a seasoned driver. With 3 years under his belt and now driving AXS, he'll be a force in the AXS classes
for 2010 and 11. Pleasant Prairie in AXSH proves my point.

Ready for the A clasess yet, thats for Dad a Son to figure out!

Lowering the A class age limit is not a sound decision.

Matt, what age did Val start?? Big Don, Jeff S, Shep, Mackey - pipe in here!

Steve

Steve:

Holden first tested in his current JH rig this spring on the river at age 11, and his first race was at Burlington this year. (He'll turn 12 in November.) He did fine testing, showed real enthusiasm, showed he was conscientious, and was aware of his surroundings. He competed in 10 races this year in JH and JR. We may let him test with the 0.625-inch restrictor in 2010, but he's definitely not going to race AXSH. We want him to get a least another year of JH race experience under his belt before we even consider green-lighting him for AXSH racing. As for ASH, no way I'd turn him loose before he turns 14.

I do not think lowering the age limit for A is a good idea.

Michael

[ram95]

It's not speed, it's competition kids want

To me, the issue is boredom. The age limits are good where they are. The problem is lack of enough entry's to make a J or AX race truly exciting for the DRIVER. Three or four boats does not make for a really exciting race from a driver (ask your kid!!) standpoint. Kids aren't stupid! They know that coming in third in a 3 boat race equals LAST. Our 'every one is a winner' society mentality doesn't amount to crap to them.

Oh sure.... when they return home and a classmate asks how they did racing, and they reply "I got a third", or maybe "second"... that in their minds, there really wasn't much competition. But, their classmate was probably impressed.

So, to appease the kid who is rapidly becoming disenchanted with boat racing at such low speeds (that's what the kids think!!), the parent wants to get the kid excited by letting them go faster. MISTAKE.

As we should know, it isn't the speed...., it's the 'competition' which makes the race.

The fact that I run a D is not because of the speed... it's because that's the class I started in. Truth be told, the C hydro guys/gals(?) running in the Lockhaven "Dash for the crash" scare the crap out of me. D hydro used to have a lot more entries. Still, for an old guy returning to the sport, it has been fun. But more entries are certainly needed.

Okay, that's my two cents.

Alex

[Blackhawkguy]

I concur but......

I agree with most of the post but lets look at a few facts.

1. A was 12 until the OMC A came out
2. Every other class except 15ss until the 20SS came along was 16
3. the 20SS for some reason was 14 but this motor on a 10' runabout was a hand full

Now we are 20 plus years past the OMC A engine being implimented, obviously everyone forgot A was 12, I started in the A class at 12 never raced J. My dad wanted to buy a 20SS at the time so I could race another class, this was just before the Hot Rods had the lectron carb's and OMC ignitions added so the 15ss was not a great class. I had been racing A two years. By the time I was 15 I had just about outgrown A weight wise.

I guess my point is I always thought that 16 was a little to old to wait for A, 14 seemed a little better and most kids are mature enough by that age to handle the faster boats, this was before the AX class came around so there was not an alternative, seems the problem is to many choices or the need for two diferent motors if you have a young one racing in that age group, or you are just forced to buy a new Mercury wich may not be a bad thing anyway.

Still think 14 is old enough, 12 to young at the speeds A is now

Kerry

[B1PRORACER]

Lowering the age in A...

Lowering the age of the A stock classes… my $ .02

I grew up racing JU when I was 9 years old, then ASH (age 12), AU (age 13), CSH (age 14), BU, 25ssR….. By the time I was fast in JU, I was too heavy for J.… as we got faster, I got heavier and the net gain was zero! This is what happens to many of our current J drivers today.

I agree that AXSH would be a great next step if it was a strong enough class to have it on the race sanction. There are only 3 Mercury engines in this Region. Our ASH class has barely enough boats to have a class… That is what the earlier discussion about the Merc in A was about… a combining of classes were everyone ran A.

I started racing ASH at the age of 12. (Yes, that used to be the minimum age for A!). Right at the beginning I had no chance of winning in ASH. I realized that it was a learning opportunity. At that time I raced against Mike Mamano Sr., Mus Poulin, Dick Fickett, Nick Cerino, Ken Rosado or Billy Rosado (or both)….. I am sure that I was at times “in the way”, but that was just how it was! It took me many years before I had learned the driving skills and developed the speed to be able to compete with the best. Later on when I was winning a lot on ASR, there were several inexperienced racers in my races. I had to just watch out for them… that is how it is! I see several new drivers in CSH in more modern times. I have noticed that there seems to be many more “middle aged” racers going out of their boats than teen age drivers?

Inexperienced drivers are something that everyone needs to be aware of… if not for their sake, then at least for your self preservation! Everyone was an inexperienced racer at one time!

There are some “truths” that seem to be missing from consideration as we discuss these topics:

1.) The fear that some inexperienced driver will run up front and be a danger to those who are supposed to be winning.
2.) The fear that young drivers will most certainly hurt themselves.
3.) The disregard for people who are on the edge of not being able to afford to race at all. The U.S. economy still isn’t very good and there are many people out there who are not working.
4.) The assumption that most people will have no trouble buying any piece of racing equipment that they want!
5.) Not everyone wins at this sport. Many people will never be successful. Some people are happy just participating….

I wouldn't mind lowering the age of A stock to 12. Some kids could handle the speed while some could not. I am thinking about a larger 12 year old that is mature for his age... and someone who would realize that they will struggle in the A class. Remember- a young kid could run a bigger heavier boat and be safe. I'm not taking about a 12 year old that is running a tiny wild ride!

[Dave M]

Not That it Matters

But here is my opinion. It would benefit a select few, and not the majority. Some kids are ready, some not.

The boats used today are way to small for a kid 12 to race at those speeds. They are tricky to drive at best. There is no cadilac ride in ASH. I don't care what brand you use. In the past the boats were bigger, and could handle the rougher water. Today the speeds are faster, boats smaller and more apt to flip if cut off, or the door is closed. Not worth the risk in my opinion.

[sam]

I am thinking about a larger 12 year old

Sorry, that's an example of trying to make everything "fair" for every person on the planet.

In many ways life is not fair

The best we can do is to try to accommodate "most" rather than "all"

[Fast Jack]

Local races ???

What if the 12 year olds were allowed to run A classes on a local level and not at divisional or national events. This way we could have larger boat counts , fewer classes and better compitition at local events. points would still be given and the local racers would be aware of who they were racing.

[Shep]

Leave it alone

I really think they got the ages right for the kids. My kid has been around fast stuff his whole life and wants to go fast. Started j at 11 and runs j and AX now. He seems to have the right skills and good course awareness, makes the right choices when driving. Skill wise I think he'd have no problem, but emotionally he is not ready. To put the kids out there to early with seasoned A drivers I feel would hinder their progress.
Shep

[Bill Huson]

Example of recreational boats . . .

In North Carolina, like many states, one must be 16 to operate a boat. Exception: If the youngster takes and passes the basic USCG boating safety course, and demonstrates their ability to pilot a PWC (sometimes called jetski), a on-water test that includes righting the upside down PWC and remounting it and taking off, they may operate a watercraft at age 12. Of course the righting test excludes 12 year olds who are rather small in stature. But those who pass can operate a PWc and even my daughter's 650cc PWC will bust 50mph.

However, I would veto the idea since the span of maturity and stature at age 12 is rather large. Sure, there are many kids of age 12 who could run an A with no problem, but there are also many who would be in way over their head.